Sekinat: Muted Voices

Chapter 19: Omens

As soon as she arrived on her allotment and commenced the day's toil, the disturbing thoughts which had occupied Sekinat's mind gradually receded into the background. Now replaced by more urgent and pragmatic issues mainly concerning the final harvest of her produce before relocating and getting a good price. However, before she could do that she had to ensure her plants do not wither out before it has had a chance to germinate and grow to its full term. In a sense a vivid and compelling metaphor illustrating the difficult situation of her circumstance.

The poverty and insecurity amidst other debilitating social factors they faced was palpable indeed, like a surging river it threatened to submerge Sekinat and her children in its overpowering deluge. But she had little choice but to take on the battle against the wave as it washed and battled against her and all that she held dear. Nevertheless, she was resolute in her determination to give her daughters a fighting chance, a basic opportunity to survive in the gritty and dysfunctional life they had found themselves.

Her thoughts only circled back to the persistent feeling of unease several hours later around midday after a particular incident. One which occurred on her way to join the other farmers already resting under the shade of the big mango tree, bordering their allotment. The tree which offered a ready shade from the unrelenting vicissitudes of the midday sun due to its thick leaves formation and wide overhanging branches.

Sekinat had elected to take a short cut wading through a bushy uneven path which led directly towards the border hedge of their farm. As she emerged into a small clearing she sighted the other farmers already seated under the tree bantering as they enjoyed their food. She rushed forward to join them, and as she did suddenly felt a sharp stab of pain shoot through her left foot as she bumped it hard against a concealed root hidden amidst some half formed weeds and shrubs in her path. Face contorted in pain, her eyes darted downwards as she grabbed hold of her ankle and squatted down to tenderly massage the pain away. Luckily the skin was not broken neither was there any visible damage, so she was able to resume her short walk towards the others in a slight shuffle.

She had almost reached her destination when a disturbing though intruded upon her idle reverie, she suddenly realised that she had bumped her left foot on the errant root earlier and not the right foot which signified something ominous.

It would seem like a good omen considering the right always harboured positive offerings, instead of the left which offered only an ominous signage. However, the superstitious belief they held almost sacrosanct dictated that the bumping of the left foot was a sure precursor of dire and negative occurrence in the horizon.

Faced with that alarming realisation a pall of anxiety slowly darkened her mood as she uttered a few lines of prayer, invoking celestial protection silently upon her children where-ever they were at the moment. She finally got to where the other were seated nattering away under the relaxing shade, and joined them. Without a word about what just happened, she fished out her packed lunch in her hold all and settled down to eat, as she battled to hold the mental turbulence in check.